Roden Lands 1-2 Punch in John B. Connally

Bloodstock agent Alistair Roden purchased Spooky Channel and Ajourneytofreedom, the recent 1-2 finishers of the Jan. 31 John B. Connally Turf Cup Stakes (G3T) at Sam Houston Race Park. A native of Ireland, Alistair came to the United States in 1985 and worked for top stallion operations Gainesway Farm and Vinery Stud in Lexington before becoming a bloodstock agent in 2003. With a knack for seeing value, Alistair has purchased such turf stars as Forever Together and Heart to Heart. Alistair spoke with BloodHorse MarketWatch about Spooky Channel, Ajourneytofreedom, his success with client Terry Hamilton, and what he looks for in a 2-year-old at the sales. MW: How did you get it into horse racing? How long have you been a bloodstock agent? AR: I grew up in Northern Ireland. People in Ireland generally get into horses by joining the Pony Club and getting into hunting, show jumping, point to pointing. My family wasn't into horses. But that's how I got into it. And then one thing led to another and I ended up going to Australia and New Zealand and then finally to the States in 1985. The horses have been my passport to the world, really. I worked at Gainesway in 1985 when I first came to the States. And they had 50 stallions back then—stallions like Vaguely Noble and Blushing Groom. I thought I had died and gone to heaven getting to be around horses like that. And then I went to Vinery and was the stallion manager there. I've been doing bloodstock since 2003. MW: Spooky Channel has been extremely consistent throughout his career, winning 9 of 18 career starts, including two grade 3 wins. You purchased Spooky Channel for the bargain price of $10,000 at the 2016 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Fall Yearling Sale; what was it about him that appealed to you? AR: I was always a big English Channel fan. And sometimes for whatever reason those horses by grass sires don't seem to sell for a lot of money. But not only that, he (Spooky Channel) was a nice horse and very well-bred out of a Kitten's Joy mare. So we took a chance on him and it turned out well. He didn't start till he was a 3-year-old. It didn't seem to be working out on the East Coast, and we took him out to Phoenix (Turf Paradise) and he won six races that winter. He was even named turf horse of the meet. It wasn't a big money-making venture but we had a great time with him. And then he came out East and jumped up and won that (W.L. McKnight, G3T) stakes at Gulfstream Park. MW: Have you had prior success with English Channels before? AR: I bought Heart to Heart (by English Channel) for $25,000 and he won two grade 1s. English Channel is just phenomenal; he's a serious sire. MW: How long have you been the bloodstock agent for Terry Hamilton? What does he look for when you're shopping the sales for him? AR: Heart to Heart was the first horse I bought for Terry. I bought him at the Canadian sale (2012 Canadian September Yearling Sale). Terry's not a guy that's going to go out and spend $100, $200,000 on a horse. He keeps it very conservative in price. Of course you just try to buy the best possible horse you can for the money you're allowed to spend for your clients. We've had tremendous luck together. We bought a filly last year (Tobys Heart) for $45,000 at the (Ocala Breeders' Sales) March (2-Year-Olds in Training) Sale that won at Saratoga Race Course. She broke her maiden at Churchill Downs very impressively and then won a stakes (Bolton Landing Stakes) at Saratoga. She's by Jack Milton, who's also a grass sire. We don't necessarily aim for grass horses; it just seems to turn out that way. It's not intentional (buying grass horses) but you just seem to be able to get better value with those type of horses. MW: Although Ajourneytofreedom has a different owner now since being claimed last August, you purchased him on behalf of Peter Redekop at the 2019 OBS Spring 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale. What stood out about him at the sale to you? AR: I bought Ajourneytofreedom for Mr. Redekop. He's a half brother to another horse I bought, Anothertwistafate, so that was our initial attraction to him. I had seen him as a yearling and wasn't overly impressed with him, but he turned the corner a lot as a 2-year-old, looked a lot better—a lot more mature. He broke his maiden at Golden Gate Fields and then was claimed last summer at Del Mar. But he seems to be a horse that's definitely on the improve. MW: You definitely seem to have a knack for purchasing quality turf horses, as Anothertwistafate became a graded stakes winner on the grass earlier this year in the San Gabriel Stakes (G2T) in his second start on the turf and competed in this year's Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational Stakes (G1T). AR: He was a horse with a grass pedigree being by Scat Daddy and having that Juddmonte family. At the time Mr. Redekop had his horses at Golden Gate, which is on the Tapeta so it wasn't as big a concern to be buying a horse that had a little bit of a grass pedigree since they run on the Tapeta. He's a stakes winner on all three surfaces—very versatile. He was a bit disappointing in the Pegasus, but that was a quick turnaround from the San Gabriel. But he came out of the race good. MW: What do you look for at the 2-year-old sales when buying? AR: Obviously they have to breeze nice. Time is a factor. Calling a client up and telling them the horse worked in :11.1, you can just feel the enthusiasm dying on the phone. You have to have horses that breeze fast and gallop out well. And I spend a lot of time at the barn looking at them, just as I do the yearlings. I look at how they walk and their disposition. It all has to come together. I've been lucky at the 2-year-old sales; they've been good to me. Hopefully it continues. MW: How did you navigate the market last year during the ongoing pandemic? AR: A few clients were frightened off with the pandemic and didn't want to buy, but in general last year was pretty much the same as most years. I bought quite a few horses, really. Business-wise, it was a pretty decent year. MW: By the fall of last year, there definitely seemed to be a positive trend in the market as sales picked up. AR: Absolutely. It's quite amazing that for all the stuff that's going on around the world the horses are still selling. Overall, considering everything going on, we're lucky to be having horse sales to start with. Overall, it was down 30% or so? I didn't think it was that bad. MW: Do you anticipate any big changes in the market this year or going forward? AR: I don't. The market is down a bit but if you have a nice 2-year-old that jumps through all the hoops they are still going to bring money. Or if you have a really nice yearling at Saratoga or Keeneland, they are still going to bring a lot of money. Overall the market is down, but those good horses will still sell. MW: What purchase do you believe has been your biggest success as a bloodstock agent? AR: Well I purchased Forever Together as a weanling and she went on to become a great runner winning the (Emirates Airline) Breeders' Cup (Filly and Mare Turf, G1T). She was a scrawny little thing when I bought her at the (Keeneland) November (Breeding Stock) Sale and then sold her again as a yearling. And then Heart to Heart of course.